At the Zocalo panel on Friday with L.A. museum directors Timothy Potts, Ann Philbin and Michael Govan, MOCA's finances were one (brief) topic of conversation. Personal finances were another: at the end of the panel, an audience member asked a question about making the museums more affordable or free. Each director had a different take. (Their answers appear about 55 minutes into the video now online at zocalopublicsquare.org , which also ran a recap of the full panel here .)

In response to the recent outbreak, Yosemite is distributing hantavirus information to every visitor. Since HPS was first identified in 1993, there have been approximately 60 cases in California and 602 cases nationally, the park says. Nationwide, approximately 20% of mice carry hantavirus.. . . . Bermuda is on a tropical storm watch as Hurricane Leslie hovers to the south-southeast. Little motion or change in strength is expected until sometime Friday . . . . A hoax tip called in to airport police was being blamed Thursday when a Dallas-bound flight out of Philadelphia was recalled by authorities and a passenger removed.

Our purchase of Heritage Cards from Ireland's Office of Public Works guaranteed us free admission to all fee-paying state-managed OPW heritage sites throughout the country for one year. The costs were recouped within the first week of our recent three-week trip. Adults, about $26, families, about $67 Heritage Card, Office of Public Works, Heritage Ireland division; http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Info/HeritageCards/ . Gail Robillard Rancho Palos Verdes

Among the Sunday morning crowds who flocked to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to see Michael Heizer's "Levitated Mass" sculpture were residents from neighborhoods along the granite boulder's route from Jurupa Valley to the museum. Sharon Macnett, who drove from Long Beach, came to claim her free ticket after seeing a blog post on the LACMA website. LACMA offered free admission to the museum galleries to residents who dealt with the disruption of having the massive transporter move the rock along their city streets earlier this year.

Starting Monday, Memorial Day, select museums around the country will offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families through Labor Day, Sept. 3. The program is a partnership between the Department of Defense, the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, a nonprofit group providing support for military families. The museum program was started in 2010 and is now in its third year. To obtain free admission, visitors must present a valid piece of identification showing active duty in the military or National Guard and Reserves.

National Park Week offers free admission at parklands nationwide, making this month a good time to plan an outdoor getaway. Here's an idea: Mark J ohn M uir 's birthday on April 21 with a visit to the park he loved to roam ( Yosemite National Park ) and his California home ( John Muir National Historic Site near Martinez). The deal: Not all of the 397 national parks, monuments and historical sites run by the National Park Service charge an entry fee, but those that do will waive the cost during the special week.

The end of Pacific Standard Time — the Getty's region-wide survey on the history of art in Southern California — will be celebrated with free admission at 19 local museums on March 31. Among the participating institutions will be the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, the Fisher Museum of Art and the American Museum of Ceramic Art. Pacific Standard Time explored the history of art in Southern California...

One of the first decisions of Santa Anita's new chief executive, Mark Verge, was to reinstate Free Fridays at the Arcadia track, so starting this Friday and through the end of the 72-day winter-spring meeting on April 22, general admission will be free on Fridays. "This is a Southern California jewel," Verge said of Santa Anita. "We want people to rediscover horse racing. " Along with the free admission on Fridays, beers, hot dogs and sodas will cost $2. The free admission proved to be popular in drawing fans when it was used at Santa Anita and Hollywood Park.

Club Mud is the longtime nickname given to Glen Ivy Hot Springs . The indoor-outdoor day spa in Corona known for its natural clay mud has a sweet birthday treat: Book a spa treatment on your birthday and get free admission for the day. The deal: The offer requires a 50-minute or longer spa treatment, such as massages (different types to choose from) that start at $99. Admission with a treatment usually costs $39 Mondays-Thursdays and $52 on weekends and holidays, so that's the savings in the birthday special.